Community Corner
Photos: Hundreds came to West End Mall for the Free HIV Testing Day
Nearly 300 people cam to get tested and to know their HIV status.
June 27th is the National HIV Testing Day, and Fulton County Health Department offered free 20-minute HIV tests at West End Mall and Hurt Park to hundreds of people.
Related:
The rate of HIV cases has skyrocketed over the past decade, much due to people being unaware that they have the disease. To counteract this, the national push is for people to, "Know Your Status."
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HIV has hit the African-American community in Fulton County so hard, that I felt like I had to highlight this free testing event and actually partake in it. It is not enough to sit on the sidelines and just report at an event like this, but I want to try to break down the stigma that testing sometimes has.
The test is a simple swab test. You swab the inside of your mouth to get cells onto the applicator, and then wait for 20 minutes. It is as easy as that!!!
That is how easy it is to know your status.
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The West End Mall will see roughly 300 individuals, men, women, young and old. They will stop seeing patients at about 6:30pm.
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